Oklahoma cruises past Pitt on way to Elite Eight

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/30/2009 - Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Freshman Whitney Hand poured in a career- high 22 points to power the top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners over the fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Panthers, 70-59, in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament's Oklahoma City Regional at the Ford Center.

Hand also collected eight rebounds for Oklahoma (31-4), which will clash with Purdue in the Elite Eight on Tuesday. Ashley Paris had 12 points and 12 boards, and twin sister Courtney Paris added 10 points and nine rebounds in the win.

Shavonte Zellous turned in 18 points to pace the Panthers (25-8), who were ousted in the round of 16 for the second consecutive year.

Hand scored 17 of Oklahoma's first 32 points, helping the Sooners to a 41-32 advantage at the half.

The Sooners used a 20-2 run in the second half to put the game away and they led by as many as 27 before finishing with the 11-point win.

Oklahoma, which last advanced past the round of 16 in 2002, held Pitt to just 31.1 percent shooting from the floor on the night.

Gambleling NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Suns' playoff hopes take a hit in loss to lowly Kings
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Thompson was one of seven Kings in double figures, logging 21 points and eight rebounds as Sacramento dealt Phoenix's playoff chances a crushing blow in a 126-118 decision over the Suns. Spen

<< Williams sisters continue to cruise, Safina ousted in Miami
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sisters Serena and Venus Williams won their matches in straight sets Sunday and advanced to the fourth round of the $4.5 million Sony Ericsson Open. Top-ranked Serena topped China's Peng Shuai, the 32n

<< Pair of Hockey East teams highlight 2009 Frozen Four
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston University and the University of Vermont, both from Hockey East, highlight the final four schools in the NCAA men's ice hockey tournament, set for April 9-11 at Verizon Center in Washing

<< Hornets gain ground, but Spurs clinch playoff spot after Suns lose
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David West went 11-for-11 from the free throw line as part of a 23-point effort, and the New Orleans Hornets made up some ground in the Southwest Division with a 90-86 victory over the San Antonio

<< Wild fend off Oilers in battle of playoff-hopefuls
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marian Gaborik scored the game-winning goal and dished out an assist, as the Minnesota Wild edged the Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, in a battle between two playoff-hopeful teams at Rexall Place. Andrew Brunett

Van der Vaart denies Chelsea rumors >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Netherlands midfield ace Rafael van der Vaart has denied reports suggesting that he is close to agreeing to a move to Chelsea from Real Madrid. The 26-year-old has struggled to make his mark at th

Kroenke increases stake in Arsenal >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American business tycoon Stan Kroenke has increased his stake in Arsenal to just over 20 percent after purchasing further shares from fellow director Danny Fiszman. The Gunners board have acted t

Cannavaro cools Real exit rumors >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro has played down reports linking him with a move back to Italy to join AC Milan next summer. The 35-year-old central defender is out of contract at the end of the

Petrov nears return for City >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-term injury absentee Martin Petrov has handed Manchester City a timely boost by returning to training. The 30-year-old Bulgaria international winger has been sidelined by knee ligament damag

Hull City chairman seeks Fabregas apology >>
Hull, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hull City chairman Paul Duffen says he would draw a line under the club's case against Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas if the Gunners midfielder issued an apology. Fabregas is alleged to have spat in the dire

American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout

An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.

Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off.  Randy was not impressed though.  Paula thought he started off fantastic.  "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either. 

Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed.  Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact.  He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition. 

Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula.  Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.

Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next.  Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential.  Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell.  He sang "Careless Whisper".

22 year old Chris Richardson was up next.  He was listed with +1100 odds coming in.  He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great. 

Nick was boring and pitchy.  Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week.  Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition. 

Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds .  These of course were the early odds.  He was considered original for picking an "odd song".  He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night. 

Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good. 

Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds.  Great voice and a great sense of humor.  He's a real standout.  Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit.  Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig". 

Jared Cotter followed.  He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition.  The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good. 

22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next.  "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon.  Though the judges felt he performed okay.  Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.

Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition.  He was the last to perform.  He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start. 

Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys.  Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.